Mud Mud Glorious Mud

The snow and ice are finally starting to melt... and new opportunities to play arrive...

under the ice you can see bubbles of WATER

SOOO exciting, time to break the ice and find the treasure under...

Certainly worth the effort

armed with buckets and spades the children began to collect water and mud, individually as well as collaborating with others

It was so interesting to see how focussed the children were - usually they play all over the park in different groups, today all 8 children were playing in the same small area working/playing intensely with the mud and water

Not only was there mud and water collection but also problem solving - when one of the small sand forms got stuck in the mud in the bucket its always good to ask a friend for advice...

buckets were filled with mud, snow, water and ice

I find it interesting to see how young children fill and fill buckets, even when they are already full, and how they overflow. This bucket started with ice and water and then filled with more and more mud, pushing the water out over the rim until there was mud oozing over the edges

jumping in water is a must - wearing the right clothes is essential. Luckily all the children were well equipped and could experience the mud and water on their own terms.

the bigger the splash the more the fun

Some children wore mittens, others worked bare hands (and got cold and wore their mittens on the walk back to warm up their hands again) - but the benefit of wearing mittens today was being able to really see how the water moved.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY
Now I know I shouldn't complain about the snow and ice - there are some great things to play in it - but I am SOOO ready for mud and water (and looking forward to some warmth too). Today has brought with it that sparkle of hope that spring is on its way to Stockholm!!